Tools of the Trade

Creating Natural Essentials:

This natural skin care recipe book includes 50 retail-ready product ideas that can be geared towards many audiences. Includes research on essential oils, shelf life information, and many other bonuses to accelerate your understanding of the natural skin care industry.

Aromatherapy for Dummies:

An excellent overview in simple language for starting your journey of making products with essential oils. Recipes are more for personal use (not fit to sell), but good exercises to get you used to ingredients.

500 Formulas for Aromatherapy:

Another great book for getting used to working with natural ingredients (still not retail-ready). This book is a great generator for future product ideas at an easy price point. Basic overview of essential oils and industry-specific dictionary in the back to get you familiar with some of our lingo.

Plant Therapy:

The quality of essential oils is everything to my product line, and Plant Therapy is my absolute go-to as a certified aromatherapist and essential oil specialist. They have great prices because they’re not an MLM, they have the research (GC/MS reports) on every single batch of oil they sell, free shipping, and offer bulk pricing. I use them for raw ingredients as well (such as carrier oils, beeswax, and butters).

Starwest Botanicals:

Starwest Botanicals is where I purchase dry ingredients like clays, activated charcoal, menthol crystals, and dried herbs. They also carry some liquid items that Plant Therapy doesn’t, such as witch hazel, castile soap, and a different variety of hydrosols.

Supplies and Ingredients Blog Post:

Coordinates with the Creating Natural Essentials Recipe Book, but a great resource even if you don’t have that. Contains basic ingredients and supplies that any all-natural maker will need on hand.

Shelf Life Blog Post:

Reference this before purchasing ingredients, check your quantities based on demand.

Ingredient Scale:

Measuring ingredients by weight (oz, grams) is a much more precise practice than measuring by volume (Tbsp, cups, tsp). This small scale ranges from 0.05 g to 11 lbs. The tare feature is a must for any skin care maker and has an easy two-button operation.

Glass Ramekins:

Ramekins are great for measuring out ingredients on a scale, such as butters, carrier oils, and beeswax. This particular set includes lids for each ramekin, which means you can prep your ingredients in advance without leaving them open for contamination or oxidation. (Added bonus: Clear glass ramekins are also useful as props in product photography!)

Double Boiler:

This double boiler fits nearly any pot and the pour spouts on each side are incredibly helpful when transferring melted ingredients to wide-mouth tins and larger tubes. The inside is slick so it is a dream to clean, even when dealing with compounds that tend to stick around, like natural micas.

Glass Pyrex Set:

I use the above stainless steel double boiler whenever I can, as I like my ingredients to be as far from the heating element on my stove as possible. However, there are times when a larger container is necessary for formulating bulk batches. This set comes in three sizes, which is helpful for preparing a larger amount of ingredients than can fit in the ramekins or making multiple recipes at once.

Glass Stir Rods:

Glass is the perfect material for mixing your formulas in a bowl or on a stovetop. Glass stir rods don’t absorb any of the ingredients, they’re easy to clean, and they last forever when handled and stored with care. Be sure to purchase the 12″ length so that they reach the bottom of your double boiler (the average glass stir rod length is 6″ and not long enough to sufficiently mix ingredients in a large, filled Pyrex).

Stainless Steel Funnels:

These stainless steel funnels are the perfect size to sit on top of 10 mL roller bottles and 1 oz dropper bottles while adding your ingredients. In addition to making it faster to get oils and carriers into your bottle, it keeps the outside of your container clean so that your product labels stick much better. Using flask funnels like these (that have a short stem) rather than standard essential oil funnels (that have a longer stem) ensures you don’t waste or drip any product when removing it from the bottle opening.

Transfer Pipettes:

In a different way than the small funnels above, pipettes help to transfer ingredients into containers with a small opening, such as a lip balm tube or glass dropper bottle. These disposable pipettes hold 3mL, a bit larger than most droppers – MUCH more efficient when creating large batches of product.

Sheet Pans:

Most home-based skin care business owners store their ingredients and supplies in a workshop or office and have to carry items back and forth between there and the kitchen. Sheet pans make transferring multiple items much easier and efficient. They’re also handy for keeping large batches level and organized if refrigerator storage is needed.

Heat Gun:

Heat guns are used to level out the tops of balms and salves after hardening in their containers. When changing temperature, products that turn from melted liquid to solid form can develop cracks or sink holes. Quickly reheating the surface of the product with a heat gun will create a flat, aesthetically pleasing product for your customers. Additionally, if you use shrink wrap to seal your products, you will need to have a heat gun on hand (hair dryers don’t reach the temperature needed).